BJP unveils poll strategy against 'secular' parties

A day after show of strength by non-Congress and non-BJP ‘secular’ parties under the Left banner in the name of fighting ‘communalism’, senior BJP leader Arun Jaitely outlined his party’s counter-offensive towards such alignments ahead of the 2014 polls.

The move, he held, was not in tandem with “strong public opinion where there is a sense of revulsion against the present government on account of the serious corruption scandals” and “these parties were silent on the Congress.”

He described such moves by the Left as an indirect help to the Congress.

“The conference of ostensibly opposition parties refrained from hitting out at an unpopular government. Instead of attacking the incumbent it sought to challenge the challenger. This is the indirect strategy of helping the UPA.”

Jaitely said that their conference was a part of their new strategy to re-position themselves to revive a third front. “The Third Front governments are detrimental to governance. No single group in the purported Third Front can hope to win even 25-30 seats in the Lok Sabha. Who will anchor the Third Front?”

Jaitely held that an unstable anchor could never provide a stable government particularly at a moment when people want stability in governance to rebuild the economy and the nation. “The Third Front has too many contradictions.”

He said the BSP and the Samajwadi Party cannot simultaneously be a part of the Third Front. The RJD and JD(U) cannot sit together. The Left and the Trinamool Congress cannot be allies. The DMK and the AIADMK cannot be together.

Jaitely said the country today needs a decisive and inspirational government. It needs a clear vision on governance. That is the popular expectation. A stable government can only be anchored by a national party with a reasonable legislative strength.”